Chapter I · Chapter 1

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

possessive form of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading The third grasped a tusk, and the fourth clutched the animal's tail.

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading "Now do you know what an elephant looks like?" asked a friend.

people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading The first blind man put out his hand and touched the elephant's broad side.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab

From this reading The third grasped a tusk, and the fourth clutched the animal's tail.

plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "Now do you know what an elephant looks like?" asked a friend.

five-toed pachyderm

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

possessive form of “elephant” — five-toed pachyderm

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading The first blind man put out his hand and touched the elephant's broad side.

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

following the third position; number four in a countable series

From this reading The third grasped a tusk, and the fourth clutched the animal's tail.

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading "Now do you know what an elephant looks like?" asked a friend.

past form of “grasp” — hold firmly

From this reading The third grasped a tusk, and the fourth clutched the animal's tail.

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading The first blind man put out his hand and touched the elephant's broad side.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The first blind man put out his hand and touched the elephant's broad side.

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading The second took hold of a leg.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle

From this reading The second took hold of a leg.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face

From this reading "Now do you know what an elephant looks like?" asked a friend.

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading The first blind man put out his hand and touched the elephant's broad side.

the force of workers available

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

on one occasion

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading The first blind man put out his hand and touched the elephant's broad side.

the largest city in Pennsylvania; located in the southeastern part of the state on the Delaware river; site of Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed; site of the University of Pennsylvania

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading The first blind man put out his hand and touched the elephant's broad side.

United States architect (1838-1886)

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

edge of a way or road or path

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

an educational institution

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading The second took hold of a leg.

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading The first blind man put out his hand and touched the elephant's broad side.

management by overseeing the performance or operation of a person or group

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body

From this reading The third grasped a tusk, and the fourth clutched the animal's tail.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading The third grasped a tusk, and the fourth clutched the animal's tail.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading The second took hold of a leg.

having come into contact

From this reading The first blind man put out his hand and touched the elephant's broad side.

a vagrant

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses

From this reading The third grasped a tusk, and the fourth clutched the animal's tail.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

United States writer of detective novels (1888-1939)

From this reading Supervising Principal of the Richardson L. Wright School, Philadelphia Once upon a time as four blind men sat by the roadside they heard the tramp of an elephant's feet, and said one to another, "Here comes an elephant; now we shall know what he is like."

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Now do you know what an elephant looks like?" asked a friend.